NEWS OF THE DAY
From Across the Nation
_1 Campus abuse: Michigan State University in East Lansing has agreed to improve its processes for investigating sexual misconduct complaints, institute a new chaperone policy for sensitive medical exams and take other steps to resolve a federal civil rights investigation related to abuse committed by Larry Nassar, an excampus sports doctor. The agreement was announced Monday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office for Civil Rights. Nassar is effectively serving life in prison for molesting young athletes under the guise of treatment — sometimes when parents were present.
_2 Officer killed: Mourners filled the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles on Monday to honor a young police officer gunned down while off duty last month. Officer Juan Jose Diaz, 24, was shot July 27 after he confronted a gang member spraypainting graffiti in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood. Two men and a woman were arrested Aug. 2 in connection with the killing. Police say the gunman is affiliated with a gang.
_3 Synagogue attack: Prosecutors and lawyers for the man charged with killing 11 worshipers at a Pittsburgh synagogue last year have agreed to a 120day extension in the case. The sides met briefly in federal court Monday to review the status of Robert Bowers’ prosecution. Authorities say Bowers opened fire with an AR15 rifle and other weapons during worship services inside Tree of Life synagogue. He allegedly expressed hatred of Jews during the Oct. 27 rampage and later told police that “all these Jews need to die.” It was the deadliest attack on Jews in U.S. history. Prosecutors have not made a final decision on whether to seek the death penalty. Bowers has pleaded not guilty to hate crimes and other offenses.
_4 Texas politics: The founder of a Latino progressive group in Texas is joining the growing list of Democrats lining up to challenge Republican Sen. John Cornyn in 2020. Cristina Tzintzun Ramirez announced her U.S. Senate campaign Monday. She’s the founder of a Latino voter mobilization effort called the Jolt Initiative. Her opening campaign video refers to this month’s mass shooting in El Paso that authorities say was carried out by a gunman who railed against an influx of Latinos into the U.S. Tzintzun Ramirez says hateful rhetoric has allowed “people to feel like they can target us on the streets of our community.”
_5 Deadly fire: Three of five kids killed in a fire at a home child care center in Erie, Pa., were the children of a volunteer firefighter who was responding to another call, an official said Monday. Luther Jones’ two daughters and a son were trapped in the blaze, said Lawrence Park Township Volunteer Fire Chief Joe Crotty. The children haven’t been identified, but the Erie Fire Department says the dead range in age from 8 months to 7 years. The owner was hospitalized after the fire Sunday. The children were staying overnight at a house that had been turned into a day care center.